Cuba Opening Up

Communist Cuba has lifted its ban on the sale of computers. This development is going to have much bigger consequences than meets the eye.

Cuba’s youth is slowly discovering what the world thinks of its authoritarian dictatorship, and much of the credit goes to technology and the internet.

A growing underground network of young people armed with computer memory sticks, digital cameras and clandestine Internet hookups has been mounting some challenges to the Cuban government in recent months, spreading news that the official state media try to suppress. Last month, students at a prestigious computer science university videotaped an ugly confrontation they had with Ricardo Alarcón, the president of the National Assembly. Mr. Alarcón seemed flummoxed when students grilled him on why they could not travel abroad, stay at hotels, earn better wages or use search engines like Google. The video spread like wildfire through Havana, passed from person to person, and seriously damaged Mr. Alarcón’s reputation in some circles.
-NYT: Cyber-Rebels in Cuba Defy State’s Limits

Increased access to computers and the internet will assist the opposition in communicating with one another, establishing a credible alternative press, and bringing about change by educating Cubans about the alternatives to their political system.